Canvas Network vs IBM SkillsBuild
Canvas Network
canvas.netIBM SkillsBuild
skillsbuild.orgSide by side
| Figure | Canvas Network | IBM SkillsBuild |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · MOOC Platforms | 9.1 (#6) | 7.5 (#51) |
| Course access | Course materials become available on or after the course start date, and courses begin on that date using U.S. Mountain time. | Visitors can try selected courses anonymously; registering provides access to the full learning catalog, learning tracking, and digital credentials. |
| Integrations | Canvas states that it integrates with more than 1,000 external tools and partners. | The FAQ says digital credentials are managed through Credly, and learners can share accepted credentials from their Credly profile to social accounts including LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter after authorizing those accounts. |
| Purpose | Canvas Network provides free, open professional development courses built by educators for educators. | IBM SkillsBuild is a free education program that helps adult learners, high school and university students, and faculty develop skills and access career opportunities. |
| Support | Course-specific help is provided through instructor materials or discussion forums, with Canvas Guides available for platform questions. | IBM directs learners with additional questions to its SkillsBuild contact page to reach the appropriate support team. |
Plans
In their own words
Canvas Network
Canvas Network offers free professional development courses made by educators for K–12 and higher education educators. Subjects include teaching methods, technology skills for educators, student performance analysis, and leadership. Anyone with an email address can enroll, but learners need a separate Canvas Network account, even if they use another Canvas instance. Materials become available on or after the course start date; courses begin according to U.S. Mountain time. Learners can work through activities at their own pace, though an instructor may invite them to synchronous activities. Instructors or sponsoring institutions may provide completion certificates, but Canvas Network does not issue them. It also does not charge eligible institutions to offer courses. Powered by Canvas LMS, the service is available on the web, Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows. Its Android and iOS apps support course access, assignment submission, discussions, and grade viewing, though not every Canvas feature is available in the apps. Offline learning is available. Course settings may hide an individual course after it ends.
IBM SkillsBuild
IBM SkillsBuild has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.